Adjustable overshoe for ice skates



m' L. TUELL HM ADJUSTABLE ovERsHoE Fon 10E sKATEs Filed May 13, 1939 Patented Apr. 15, 1941 2,238,084 ADJUSTABLE ovEnsHoE Fon ICE- sKA'rEs Willard L. Tuell, Grand Haven, and Ora W. Richert, Spring Lake, Mich.

Application May 13, 1939, Serial No. 273,392

(Cl. ZBO-41.38)

Claims.

This invention relates to adjustable overshoes `for ice skates, especially designed and adapted for quick and easy attachment to and removal from the runners, so as to permit putting on and taking oil ice skates at home, the overshoes being used as a protection for the runners, as well as for floors', rugs, etc., in walking to and from the skating rink.

We are aware that several other overshoes, runner guards, and the like have been proposed. Some have been objectionable for the reason that they do not afford adequate lateral support, andthere is therefore too much strain imposed upon the ankles and it is awkward to walk. Others have been objectionable for the reason that they are not adjustable to t diiierent lengths of runners, and others because of their complicated and expensive construction or the `fact that the construction involved too much weight or did not provide for as quick and easy application and removal of the devices as desired.

It is therefore the principal object of our invention to provide adjustable overshoes for ice skates, avoiding in so far as possible all of the objections mentioned, the aim being to give good f lateral support so as to relieve the ankles of strain and make` for comfortable walking, and the .aim being fur-ther to provide for quick and easyadjustment to suit different lengths of runners, provide for quick and easy application to and removal from the runners, and avoid too much weight and keep down the cost of manufacture so that the overshoes will be available ata low price.

Y A salient feature of our invention is the fact that the entire runner ts down into the overshoez close to the floor level, so that the person does not have a sensation of walking on stilts, and' )still another very important feature of the invention is the way in which one end of the runners lit in under cut portions of the overshoes While the other ends are secured by means of latches, so that additional straps or strings are not necessary, and the strain and binding effect on the ankles usually caused by such ties is avoided.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through an overshoe made in accordance with our invention and shown applied to the runner of an ice skate, the section being on the line I-.-I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the overshoe removed from the skate;

Fig. -3 is a side view of Fig. 2, showing a por the hollow sheet metal supports 8 and 9.

tion of the overshoe in vertical section to better illustrate the construction, and A Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

Fig. 1 illustrates a conventional ice skate, the reference numeral 5 designating the shoe and E the blade or runner carried in a tubular frame piece I attached to thebottom of the shoe 5 by The overshoe Il] provided as a protective covering for the runner 6 is made of wood, in order to avoid excessive weight and also make for economy in manufacture. This overshoe, in order to be adjustable in length to fit diiferent lengths 'of runners, is made in two sections II and I2, and the section II is cut away, as at I3 and I4, leaving a tongue I5 that is adapted to slide between tongues IB and I'I provided on the other section I2, adapted to be entered in the cutaway portions I3 and I4 of the inst-mentioned section. The section I2 is cut away, as at I 8, to accommodate the upper portion I9 of the section II, and it is apparent that when the two sections are intertted, their top surfaces are in a common plane, and likewise their bottom surfaces. Four bolts 20 are entered selectively through vertical holes 2l provided therefor in the tongue I5 `and upper portion I9 of the section II, and these bolts will pass through registering holes 22 provided in the tongues I6 and I'I of the section I2, whereby to secure the sections II and I2 in adjusted relationship. The holes 22 are provided in two parallel series. in longitudinally spaced relation on opposite sides of and parallel to the registering longitudinal grooves 23 and 24 provided in the shoe sections at the approximate middle thereof. Obviously, therefore, one may increase or decrease the length of the overshoe to suit the length of runner to be entered therein, and once the overshoe has been adjusted and the bolts 20 have been entered, there will rarely be any occasion for changing the adjustment and the nuts 25 can accordingly be tightenedv to eliminate likelihood of their coming oil and being lost. The section II is cut away, as at 26, in symmetrical relation to the groove 23 to accommodate the rear upright runner support 9. The rear section I I is also cut away at its front end, as at 21, and the other section I2 is cut away, as at 28, to provide a similar clearance for the front upright runner support where the overshoe is applied to the smallest sized skate for'which it is designed. However, when the overshoe is extended to accommodate a larger sized skate, the front upright runner support 8 occupies a position between these cut-out portions 21 and 28, as shown in Fig. 1. The object in this construction is to permit entering the runner 6 in the overshoe Iii to as low an elevation as possible so as to avoid the sensation of walking on stilts. Both sections of the overshoe have the bottom surfaces covered with corrugated rubber, as indicated at 29, to give good traction and prevent slippage.

The front section I2 of the overshoe is undercut, as indicated at 33 in Fig. 1, at the front end of the groove 24, so that the front end of the runner 6 is held against displacement without the necessity for providing a separate metal cleat across the front end of the runner-receiving groove, which would mean added cost and also eXtra weight, without any advantage over the present construction, A latch bolt 3| is slidable in a transverse hole 32 provided inthe lr-ear section Il of the overshoe and is adapted to engage in a registering hole 33 opening from the opposite side of the groove 23 next to the cut-out portion 26. This bolt by engagement with the tubular frame 1 on the runner 6 next to the rear upright runner support 9, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, serves to lock the overshoe onto the skate and obviates the necessity for any straps or strings being extended between the shoe 5 and the overshoe Il). The elimination of such ties is of advantage not only because it facilitates application of the overshoe to the skate and subsequent removal therefrom, but also because such ties had a tendency to bind at the ankles and make it awkward, if not uncomfortable, to walk. The l-atch bolt 3| is arranged to be quickly Aand easily withdrawn by hand sufficiently to permit removal of the runner 6, and for that purpose we provide a lever 34 pivotally connected to the outer end of the latch bolt, as at 35, and received in a groove 36 provided therefor in the side of the section Il, a pin 3l being entered in the ysection Il in transverse relation to the groove 36 to serve as a pivot 'for the lever 34. A bore 38 accommodates a coiled compression spring 39 which engages an extension 43 provided on the pivoted end of the lever 34, whereby to urge the latch bolt 3| inwardly, although permitting fairly easy .movement of the same in the opposite direction by means of the lever 34, the lever having a direct pull on the bolt .to withdraw the same and having suicient mechanical advantage in so far as compression of the spring 39 is `concerned to make it fairly easy to work against the action of kthe spring in withdrawing the bolt. It is obvious that when the runner 6 is locked in place in the overshoe I0, there is no danger of any sliding to and fro, which would be objectionable from the standpoint of tending to dull the runner, besides making it awkward and unsteady so far as walking is concerned.

It is believed lthe foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of our invention, lThe appended claims have been drawn with a view -to covering all legitimate modifications and adaptations,

We claim:

l. An overshoe for an ice skate, comprising front and rear sections having adjoining tongue and groove end portions slidably intertting in a substantially horizontal plane so as to permit longitudinal adjustment of said sections relative to one another, one of said end portions having one or more substantially vertical holes provided therein and the other end portion having a plurality of substantially vertical holes provided therein in longitudinally spaced relation adapted to register with the rst-mentioned holes in different positions of adjustment of the sections relative to one another, one or more bolts for securing said sections together entered in the registering holes, said sections having aligned longitudinal grooves provided in the top vpor-tions thereof in a substantially vertical plane adapted to receive a skate runner, and means for securing the overshoe to the skate runner when engaged in the groove.

2. An overshoe for an ice skate as set forth in claim 1, wherein one of the shoe sections has a .generally conical-shaped recess provided therein in a substantially vertical plane concentric with the groove and spaced longitudinally from the adjacent end of the groove and adapted to receive an upright runner support on the skate when the runner is engaged in the groove, said recess being spaced a predetermined distance from the other end of the shoe section, less than the distance between the front and rear upright runner supports on a skate.

3. An overshoe for an ice skate as set forth in claim l, wherein one of the shoe 4sections has a generally conical-shaped recess provided therein in a substantially vertical -plane concentric with the groove and spaced longitudinally from the adjacent end of the groove and adapted to receive an upright runner support on the skate when the ruimer is engaged in the groove, and the two shoe sections when adjusted toward one another to an extreme position for the smallest length skate runner forming therebetween aseoond generally conical recess for another upright runner support in concentric relation with the grooves in said sections, the latter recess being provided partly in the adjacent end of the firstnamed shoe section and partly in the other shoe section.

4. An overshoe for an ice skate, comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal groove pro-.-

, vided therein to accommodate the runner of an ice skate, and means for releasably securing the runner in the groove, comprising a bolt slidable in transverse relation with respect to the groove and runner in registering holes provided therefor in the body, opening from opposite sides of the groove, a manually operable lever for actuating said bolt pivotally mounted at one end on one side of the shoe and having pivotal connection near its other end with the bolt, and spring means normally urging the lever to move in one direction so as to retain the bolt in operative position relative to the runner.

5. An overshoe for an 'ice skate comprising an elongated body substantially flat on the bottom and having a narrow longitudinal groove provided therein to accommodate the narrow blade of a skate runner in a vertical plane with vthe blade resting on the bottom of the groove, said body having cut-out portions in longitudinally spaced relation constituting enlargements of the upper portion of the groove to accommodate upright runner supports projecting upwardly from the tubular blade holder on a skate, said body being split transversely intermediate the ends of the groove and the front and rear sections thus formed having overlapping portions longitudinally adjustable with respect toone another to vary the length of the body and groove to accommodate different lengths of skate runners, means extending through said overlapping portions to secure the same in adjusted relationship, and means for retaining the skate runner in the groove in said body.

6. An overshoe for an ice skate as set forth in claim 5, wherein the body has two cut-out portions in longitudinally spaced relation and is split transversely through one of said cut-out portions.

'7. An overshoe for an ice skate comprising an elongated body substantially flat on the bottom and having a narrow longitudinal groove provided therein to accommodate the narrow blade of a skate runner in a vertical plane with the blade resting on the bottom of the groove, said body being split transversely intermediate the ends of the groove, and the front and rear sections thus formed having overlapping portions longitudinally adjustable with respect to one another, means for securing said overlapping portions in adjusted relationship, one of said secf tions having the end of the groove therein undercut for projection therein of the adjacent end of the runner to prevent upward displacement from the groove, the other shoe section having a recess provided in the top portion thereof in a substantially vertical plane concentric with the groove and spaced longitudinally from the adjacent end of the groove and adapted to receive an upright runner support on the skate, and a retaining pin extending through the last mentioned shoe section in the recessed portion transversely with respect to the groove on that side of the recess remote with respect to the undercut end of the groove in the other shoe section.

8. An overshoe for an ice skate comprising an elongated body substantially flat on the bottom and having a narrow longitudinal groove provided therein to accommodate the narrow blade of a skate runner in a vertical plane with the blade resting on the bottom of the groove, said body being split transversely intermediate the ends of the groove, and the front and rear sections thus formed having overlapping portions longitudinally adjustable with respect to one another, means for securing said overlapping portions in adjusted relationship, one of said shoe sections having a recess provided in the upper portion thereof in a substantially vertical plane concentric with the groove and spaced longitudinally from the rear end of the groove and adapted to receive an upright runner support on the skate, at least one of said sections having that end thereof which abuts the end of the other section when the sections are adjusted toward each other to a minimum overall length cut out in the upper portion in a substantially vertical plane concentric with the groove to receive another upright runner support on a skate, and means for retaining the skate runner in the groove in said body.

9. An overshoe for an ice skate, comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal groove provided therein to accommodate the runner of an ice skate, and means for releasably securing the runner in the groove, comprising a bolt slidable in transverse relation with respect to the groove and runner in registering holes provided therefor in the body, opening from opposite sides of the groove, and a manually operable lever for actuating said bolt pivotally mounted adjacent one end on one side of the shoe and having pivotal connection near its other end with the bolt, said other end having a handle portion for manual operation of the lever.

10. An overshoe for an ice skate, comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal groove provided therein to accommodate the runner of an ice skate, and means for releasably securing the runner in the groove, comprising a bolt slidable in transverse relation with respect to the groove and' runner in registering holes provided therefor in the body, opening from topposite sides of the groove, a manually operable lever :for actuating said bolt pivotally mounted adjacent one end on one side of the shoe and having pivotal connection near its other end with the bolt, said other end having a handle portion 1'or manual operation of the lever, and means for holding said lever normally in a position with the pin moved home to retain the runner.

WILLARD L. TUEIIL. ORA W. RICHERT. 

